Schoolkids

Something I get well insulated from in getting to site early and leaving late is schoolchildren. I know I was one once and I know I didn’t appreciate the experience or like the experiences I had but man must I have had some spare time.

These last 4 weeks have involved safety courses every Tuesday – getting to Maidstone for an 8.45 start has proved impossible – I simply can’t get it right and am invariably there around 8, only to see a parade of kids leaving/arriving/mid travel anytime between 8 and 8.45. Seems flexi time exists in schools, too. The odder thing seems to be kicking out time. Today was an opportunity (we finished nice and early) to get out for a run in the daylight and all around the circuit (details can be read on Jogblog since I asked her for an off road 3 mile route) there were kids either walking dogs, getting off buses or sitting on walls, all smoking or talking into mobile phones or both while still in uniform and clearly without a care that a bastard of a teacher would probably see them and subsequently offer to either suspend (a threat to me for one misdemeanour as a 13 year old), cane (similar time, similar threat, similar age…similar outcome of escape!), put in detention for life (not quite life, but most of my second year), bugger to bits (the teacher who kept me in detention was prosecuted for kiddie fiddling when I was 23!) for putting the school into disrepute (I was threatened by the police when spotted looking in a shop window in uniform on my way between schools once…a sure way to encourage early changing out of uniform).

I clearly had it so wrong as a youth and seeing them today made me envious, thankful it’s not me any more and frustrated at the waste all in the space of my 22 minute and 50 second outing.

Almost made me regret going out early. But not quite. A sneaky 3 miles when not expected is always good.

Less good is the bit of ache that’s returned to the leg since Sunday. Good job I’m going to take it easy until Grim in a week and a bit.